Love & Order: Labor Day (Holidays In Hallbrook Book 1)

by Elsie Davis

  Garrett ran his hands through his already ruffled hair. He’d have none left if he couldn’t find a way out of the hole. His reputation and that of the firm depended on it.

  “The sooner those kids are in boarding school and daycare, the sooner your life returns to normal.” Brooke crossed the room to hand him the latest updates. “You’ll get through this, you always do.”

  “I haven’t made any decisions about the kids. I’m not sure about anything anymore. Go home,” he reiterated, wanting time to think things through without Brooke’s constant interruptions.

  “If you insist. I’ll be back in the morning. You’re more than welcome to stay with me tonight if you need a place to stay. You know I’m five minutes away, and it’s quiet there.”

  Garrett stopped to look up at Brooke as she picked up her purse and headed for the door. The idea of staying at Brooke’s place was unacceptable, the mere suggestion probably crossing several ethics codes in the human resource manual he’d drafted when they started their business.

  “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll probably just stay here and keep working and sleep on the couch if needed.”

  She shrugged. “Offer stands if you change your mind.” Brooke left, not looking pleased with his rejection.

  Long into the night, Garrett checked over every inch of the tick sheet for the stock price of oil, noting every change from the days leading up to the drop and in the hours that had passed since then. He also researched the news coming out of the Middle East, hoping to find something that would point to a reason and give him an insight to the future prices and ultimately, the value of Hamilton’s holdings. But none of it made sense, and there was nothing that would have tipped him off to the impending loss.

  His gut told him to pull out of the merger altogether. Call Baden’s bluff—his new low-ball offer not even close to the true value of Hamilton’s company. But getting Mr. Hamilton to agree with him would be the problem, especially without proof of why he should listen and follow Garrett’s advice. On the verge of bankruptcy, something no one else knew except for Hamilton’s financial team of advisors and Garrett, the man would try to salvage some of his assets and his respect and not be easy to convince.

  Garrett stayed up through the night, and by morning, he’d barely managed two hours of sleep on an uncomfortable couch. And for his efforts, he had a stiff neck, a bad attitude, and he was no closer to solving the problem of how to convince Hamilton to hold off closing the deal.

  Garrett rose, made his way to the coffeepot, and poured himself some of the black drudge that was hours old. He thought of April as he took a sip but shoved all thoughts of her aside as Jim entered his office—earlier than he’d seen him at the office in years.

  “Rough night?” Jim asked.

  “You could say that? I guess you heard.” Garrett shook his head, feeling as though he’d let not only a client down but his best friend as well.

  “I did. Let’s wait until the dust settles before we start packing our boxes.” Jim’s attempt at humor was lost on him, his brain unwilling to function in any than other than stress mode at the moment.

  “Hamilton’s already considering firing me. The reputation of Bradley & West is on the line. I’m sorry. I know the hours you’ve put in and the sacrifices you’ve made to build this place up. I honestly didn’t see this coming. I screwed up. I let April and the kids distract me, and that’s why this happened.”

  “Seriously?” You’re allowed a personal life and personal time. You can’t be in work mode twenty-four-seven. I get that this doesn’t look promising, but it’s not over yet. And it’s just one deal. We’ll survive this.”

  “I don’t know how you can be so sure.”

  “Because we excel at what we do, and most places are willing to overlook one blemish on a track record.” Jim was willing to take it easy on him, but it was more than Garrett was willing to do for himself. It was his mistake, and that made it unacceptable. Everything he did needed to be right.

  The same principle applied at home as it did at the office. Another mistake on his part he’d yet to deal with. Throughout the night, he had plenty of time to think. He realized that kids could be a handful, and perhaps he’d dumped an impossible task on April. His place wasn’t a kid-friendly home, and until he found them a new place, there would be problems. Money could fix everything they’d damaged, and he had plenty of that, but money couldn’t take the hurt he’d seen in their eyes right before he left.

  The one thing he hadn’t done was act like a dad. Whether he’d wanted the role or not didn’t matter. He was one.

  And he’d been wrong not to stay and listen. He should have stayed and helped her clean up. The only redemption in his reaction was that he’d counted to ten. Thank you, April.

  “Let’s just hope you’re right. Just so you know, I’m working on the home-front issue also. To make it right.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to take April flowers, take the kids a couple of gifts, and apologize to them.”

  “Is that what you do when you screw up?”

  “Yes.” Jim smirked.

  “Then that’s what I’ll do. But I also put in a call to the realtor. Angelica’s right—I need to sell the penthouse. I’ll buy a bigger place more suited to my new family. Something with a back yard.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re on the right track, my friend. The only problem I see is April.”

  “What about her?”

  “You’re letting her leave. Big mistake. I can see you care about her. Bev says you love her.”

  “Bev’s wrong. Of course, I care. She’s a friend, and she was a great help, but she’s going back to Hallbrook and starting college next week.”

  “College isn’t forever. Marriage is if you put your heart and soul into it.”

  “You know I don’t believe in all that.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time you started believing.”

  After Jim left, Garrett hashed over his friends’ words in between trying to solve his work crisis. He also managed to call his maintenance guy and arranged for the man to come to the penthouse later tonight to assess the damage and match the paint color. By the sounds of it, a toddler drawing on the walls wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.

  By five p.m., he was no closer to figuring out a new plan, one that would bring Hamilton and Baden Enterprises back to the table. His stomach rumbled, reminding him April would have dinner ready by six and would be expecting him. And he wanted to be there.

  He shut off his computer and escaped the office, relieved to see Brooke had stepped away. No explanations required. This morning, he’d instructed to hold all calls and no interruptions unless they were Mr. Hamilton or April. Although he’d had several from his client, there hadn’t been one word from April.

  Garrett hailed a taxi.

  “Sutton Hill,” he told the taxi driver. “And stop at the flower shop on the corner of Abner and Dean.”

  The guy signaled his understanding and flipped on the meter. Twenty minutes later, they pulled up in front of the store, and Garrett jumped out. “Wait right here. Two stops to make.”

  He grabbed one of the colorful arrangements sitting outside the shop and shoved a twenty in the man’s hand to pay for them. Garrett left the store and headed left, passing three stores before coming to the small toy store. He picked up a coloring book and then put it back down with a chuckle.

  Say no to coloring was his new motto.

  “May I help you?” the clerk asked. The kid looked to be in his early twenties, and Garrett figured he was his best chance at getting this right.

  “Absolutely. I need something for a nine-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl.”

  “Well, what sort of things do they enjoy?”

  “I don’t know.” Garrett shrugged. “I just met them,” he said by way explanation.

  “Okay, then. You need to play it safe. Here.” The man put a Tonka truck in his hands, presumably for Bryan.

  “Are you su
re about this? It seems kind of kiddish.” Garrett couldn’t remember the last time he’d played with a truck.

  “Are you kidding? Boys of all ages love these things.” The kid seemed sure of himself.

  “I’ll take your word for it.” They walked three aisles over into what could only be described as the pink aisle. Everything a girl could imagine was here in pink.

  The clerk handed him a giant doll. It was almost as tall as Sandy, but he couldn’t imagine Melanie playing with it. She had her sister, the real thing instead.

  “All girls play with dolls.” It was as if he could see the indecision in Garrett’s face. At least if he was wrong, Sandy would have a new playmate. “I’ll take it.”

  “And for the youngest? She’s three.”

  “Stuffed animals are always a safe bet. Unless you love noise, then a kid’s drum set is fun. It’s just plastic.”

  “No. No drums. I’ll take the oversized mouse. Minnie, right?”

  The clerk shook his head and laughed. “Yes, Minnie.” He followed the clerk to the register, paid, and headed back to the waiting taxi. They drove down the street a bit and pulled up in front of Sutton Hill. Garrett paid the taxi driver, tipping him extra for waiting. He grabbed his briefcase and tried to find the best way to hang on to the bulky packages and not crush the flowers.

  “Here, let me get that for you, Mr. Bradley.” Ted ran down the steps to help.

  “Thanks. If you just let me rearrange this, I should be fine.” Pressing the briefcase up under one arm and holding it tight against his side with his elbow, he grasped the other three bags by the plastic handles, keeping the flowers safe in the other hand. “I’ve got it now. Thanks.”

  “Have a nice night.” Ted waved.

  The ride to the top was nerve-wracking. Garrett was unsure of what to expect when he showed up. He slid the key card across the pad and pushed open the door. When he entered the suite, the first thing he noticed was April talking with the maintenance guy.

  “Glad you’re here, Morgan. I didn’t expect you this early. Give me a second to put these down.” He put the toys on the kitchen table and returned to the living room. Rufus bounded toward him and started to jump up, trying to get to the flowers. “Down boy.” Garrett turned away and raised the flowers up over his head and out of the dog’s reach. Rufus surprised him when he sat, his tail wagging.

  “Would you look at that, the dog is obeying you.” Morgan smiled.

  “It’s a first.” Garrett handed April the flowers and then reached down and patted the dog’s head.

  April smiled at him; her soft gaze full of forgiveness. Before I even asked for it. She was an amazing woman. “I’m sorry. We’ll talk about it in a minute. I just need to give Morgan the heads-up as to what we need to be done to fix everything.”

  “Garrett, I’m not sure what you need me to do. I’ve been here talking to April, and it seems that she has everything under control.”

  “What do you mean?” He stepped back, steeling himself to look at the wall and not react. “You already fixed it?”

  “He didn’t, I did. They’re called washable crayons, and if you’d stuck around, I would’ve told you about the greatest development in kids’ toys since we were babies.”

  Now he really felt like a fool. He’d never heard of such a thing, but the name spoke for itself.

  “Guess I’ll be leaving. You all have a nice night.” Morgan headed for the door, but not before Garrett noticed his all-knowing-grin. “Glad it all worked out.”

  “Goodnight, and thanks anyway.” After the door closed, the awkward silence grew.

  “Thanks for the flowers. You didn’t need to do this.” April’s voice was soft and without judgment.

  “Yes, I did. I overreacted, and I’m sorry.” If anything, her attitude made him feel worse.

  “It’s not that you overreacted, it’s that you left. The kids need reassurance from you that you’re not mad at them.” Ouch. That hurt, because it was the truth.

  “Where are they now?”

  “They’re watching a movie in Bryan’s room. And they’ve promised to be gentle with your DVD player. It had a DVD stuck in it, and they panicked.” Her gaze beseeched him to understand as she reached out to lay her hand on his, her touch gentle.

  “I’ve got something for them.” Garrett swallowed hard, the lump of shame in his throat making it difficult.

  “You don’t need to buy things for them. They just need you to be here for them. They need a connection with you.” April was right. She was always right.

  “Now you tell me about buying things. I’ve got a Tonka truck and a giant baby doll that I’m almost positive aren’t the older two kid’s age bracket, but the guy insisted they’d love them. And a stuffed animal for Sandy.”

  “A Tonka truck for Bryan? Doubtful, but I could be wrong. The doll for Melanie, not so much. She’s got her sister for that, and she’s more into art. Like Sandy.” She grinned. “And stuffed animals are always fun.” April’s laugh was a wonderful sound that gave him hope things could return to normal.

  “Sounds as though my efforts were an epic fail. At least I overrode the guy on the drum set for Sandy.”

  April grinned. “Good call. You can give the doll and truck to Sandy.” April suggested.

  “Won’t the other two feel left out? I wanted to apologize to you and the kids.”

  “It was a nice idea, but I think they just want to spend time with you.” The genuine warmth in her smile touched his heart.

  “By the way, how did the interviews go this morning? You haven’t said anything.” Garrett still wasn’t sold completely on the idea of replacing April, but he understood it was for the best.

  “Not so hot. There’s one other agency I’ll call tomorrow. I’m sorry.” She shrugged and let out a huge sigh.

  “We’ll figure it out together.” Garrett tried to reassure her, knowing she was the kind of person who would want to make sure the kids were taken care of before she left.

  “Did you remember to enroll them in school? They need to start back next week.”

  “I haven’t. But thanks for the reminder. I need to make some decisions about their schooling.”

  “You’re not still considering boarding school, are you? That would be awful, and they are already worried you want to send them away because of yesterday’s mess.” April wasn’t pulling any punches, her comment a direct hit knowing he was considering exactly that. Her opinion meant far more than Brooke’s when it involved the children or anything else for that matter. But he still wasn’t sure how it would work if he didn’t send them.

  “Whatever gave them that idea? I’ve not made any decisions. Right now, I’m dealing with work issues that have become a top priority. Stop worrying. Whatever I do, I’ll make sure they’re taken care of. I promised.”

  It was a promise he intended to keep.

  “Okay, just remember they need you.” She looked up at him, the light of hope in her eyes.

  “I’m not so sure after my reaction to the mess. I still can’t believe the crayon just wiped right off the walls. That’s remarkable.”

  “By the way, I found the exact match to your lampshade and ordered it online. It’ll be here in tomorrow.” The relief was evident in her voice.

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “But I wanted to. I felt like it was only right.”

  “What’s right is you here helping me with the kids. That’s what’s most important.” He meant every word. Somehow, he had to convince her to stay. She was the perfect nanny for him.

  His overreaction had caused the problems at work, not the kids—proof he was no good at parenting and family.

  Chapter Seventeen

  April fixed the kids breakfast and got ready for this morning’s interview candidate, all while going over the events of the previous evening. Garrett had done his best to interact with the kids and get past the awkwardness. But when he sat down in the armchair after the kids were in bed and not next to
her on the sofa when they watched a movie, she realized something was wrong. Her attempts to find out what, however, were met with a denial anything was wrong, other than work stuff.

  She wanted to believe him, but he’d shut her out, making it hard to know what was going on. At least peace and harmony had been restored to the Bradley residence. Now the only thing she needed to do was find a nanny, and not dwell on thoughts of Garrett and Brooke spending the night together, because it was none of her business. She had a job to do. End of story.

  Time was running out, and she could only hope this candidate turned out better than yesterdays. One by one, the kids strolled into the kitchen, Melanie awkwardly carrying Sandy on one hip while trying to keep her injured wrist from getting bumped.

  “Good morning, kids. You’re all on the same schedule this morning. That helps.”

  “Good morning, Miss April,” they answered in unison.

  “Your breakfast is ready. Here, let me take Sandy, and I’ll feed her.” She reached for the little girl who lifted her arms up, ready to go for a ride. April buckled her in her seat and sat down to feed her. Rufus had followed the kids into the kitchen, sitting close by, hoping for food to drop on the floor. It was all extremely homey and comfortable.

  Sandy didn’t seem to be hungry this morning, so rushing her was useless. “You still full after last night, honey?” She brushed back the blonde curls from Sandy’s face.

  “Why do you ask her questions you know she won’t answer?” Bryan asked.

  “Because I believe she understands, and one of these times, she’s going to answer me.”

  “If you say so. Seems silly to me.” Bryan shook his head and went back to filling his face, bite after bite, as though he hadn’t eaten in days. Endless pit.

  “Bryan and Melanie, can you keep an eye on Sandy while I jump in the shower?”

  “Sure. And I promise not to take my eyes off her this time. No more mistakes, not like last time.” Bryan was nine going on fifteen, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  “Honey, you’re not to blame. There was no way to know Sandy would get into Melanie’s crayons when you were in the bathroom. Don’t take it too hard, kiddo.” Bryan had decided he was the man of the family, and he took his responsibility seriously most of the time. April would prefer him to just be a boy and enjoy his childhood. She hated that he felt responsible for something that could be termed as nothing more than an accident. Where there are kids, there are accidents.